Release Me
by Deathcrest
Summary: Everything was falling apart and Cloud was slow to catch. Spoilers for Crisis Core finale.


**Disclaimer: You know the story guys.**

**AN: Oh God Evanescence's music video for My Heart Is Broken comes out today and my mother took the internet away. Holy shit. I'm such a loser. Oh yeah, this is the second time one of my stories contain yaoi and this shit has spoilers for Crisis Core.**

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><p>"<em>My heart is broken. Release me, I can't hold on."<em>

"Zack! No, please no." Cloud half-screamed, half-wailed as he fell to his knees in front of the fallen SOLDIER.

"Hey, b-buddy." Zack looked sepulchral, with blood staining his cheeks and his blue Mako eyes fading in and out of focus. However, when the fallen warrior attempted a smile at his blond friend, it still had that shining quality that Cloud always saw in the man.

"You're gonna be okay, Zack. We'll get help, I know we can. Just, hang on, please." Cloud responded, his voice losing what strength it had, sounding more pitiful as each second passes. Zack slowly shook his head, grunting in pain.

"C-Cloud, listen t-to me. I know I'm not gonna make it, buddy." It was Cloud's turn to shake his head furiously. No, no, no, no, Zack can't die. He's Zack, always had been.

The image of Zack, dead and gone, pierced at Cloud's heart more than any wound could ever dare to. Unwillingly, tears streamed down the younger man's face. Zack couldn't die. Cloud _needed_ him.

"Please, don't say things like that. We are going to make it. We_ can_ make it. You'll be safe, I promise. Don't die on me, please." Cloud begged, holding Zack's warm face in his hands. Sad blue Mako eyes watched him, deep and wonderful like the noon sky.

Zack Fair had been one of Cloud's closest friends, perhaps even closer than most. The man had been his inspiration to become a SOLDIER and when the Zack had befriened Cloud, it struck a chord in the younger man's heart.

Zack had always been there for him, be it at his best or at his worst. Zack had wormed his way into Cloud's heart without the two even knowing it. All Cloud knew was that Zack was like a sanctuary, a small grove in a dead world. The man had sheltered Cloud from the worst of the world, showed him that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Zack wasn't just his friend; Zack held his heart more than anyone ever could.

"W-we're near Midgard. Just hold on, Zack. I can't lose you. I _need_ you." Cloud trembled as tears poured down his eyes, a sob echoing in his chest. Slowly, he felt arms surround his body. Then, a force was pushing him down, holding him close and warm.

Cloud did not budge from Zack's tight embrace, neither did he move when Zack pressed his lips against his. Cloud just pushed his own against, relishing this moment, knowing deep inside that this would be the only one.

"Take my sword, buddy…My dreams, they're yours now…You'll be my legacy, Cloud." Zack whispered against Cloud's lips, shocking the man. However, that shock diminished into despair as Zack pressed his lips once more.

When they finally pulled away, Zack had a warm smile on his face, like he wasn't dying, like he wasn't leaving Cloud to fend for himself, utterly alone in this mad world. His eyes stared at him with a tenderness that made Cloud shook with the urge to cry out again.

Everything was falling apart and Cloud was slow to catch the broken pieces.

"I love you, ya know that, right?" Zack spoke, a wide smile on his face. Cloud's heart tightened at the words. How he longed to hear those words…but the timing was utterly devastating. He had imagined a future for the two of them, a bright happy future.

Cloud nodded, his eyes never drying. "And, you know that I love you, right?"

Zack's grin turned into a small, content smile as the man's blue eyes sparkled. "Yeah, I do. I'll always be with you, Cloud. I'm never leaving your side."

A bloodied hand reached out to caress his face and Cloud leaned into the warmth of the sweet gesture. Slowly, he pressed his lips against the man's palm, not caring about the blood that was there.

"Can you s-say that…I b-became a hero?" Zack questioned as his blue eyes dimmed and his breathing turned shallow.

He still had a hand on Cloud's face, and the blond man just looked at the dying SOLDIER. Their eyes met in silence, sharing something that no one could ever know or comprehend.

Zack read the answer in the sadness in Cloud's eyes and he smiled a final smile before he let his head lie back on the ground. Slowly, the warmth on Cloud's face faded and fell, leaving him cold.

Cloud neither moved nor uttered a sound. His own vision blurred and his mind conjured images of meadows of green and a dark-haired, blue-eyed man with a wide smile on his face.

Memories were all that was left for Cloud now.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that was interesting. I really don't like how it turned out. It was so…sappy. Ugh. Oh well, review or flame it. You read my shit.<strong>


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